WEB DESK: With the final season in the works, it seems Netflix’s Stranger Things was due for another round of headlines. This time, however, the conversation is less focused on the Upside Down.
The series is currently navigating significant online backlash from fans who claim the actors, now in their early twenties, look too old to convincingly portray their high school-aged characters. Since the show began in 2016, a near-decade has passed in the real world, inevitably causing a visual gap between the youthful characters and their maturing stars like Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Gaten Matarazzo. Social media users have posted comparisons, with some critics suggesting the actors look more like teachers than students.
AGE CONTROVERSY VS. CREATIVE DEFENCE
The criticism surrounding the cast’s age is tempered by the fact that pandemic and Hollywood strike delays stretched the filming timeline. Though there are conflicting opinions regarding credibility, some dedicated watchers contend that the lasting emotional quality along with the bond among the cast should take precedence over their outer looks. In addition, the show’s makers along with industry professionals have indicated that the conventional methods of movie making, grooming, hairstyling, the clothes, and careful camera positioning can address, the discrepancies without the use of controversial anti-aging methods.
The original older teen cast members, like Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), were already in their twenties when the series began, a common practice in Hollywood that many feel legitimizes the current situation.
OFFICIAL RUNTIMES AND THREE-PART HOLIDAY PREMIERE
In other news, co-creator Ross Duffer officially ended speculation about supersized, two-hour-long episodes by revealing the actual runtimes for the first four chapters of the highly anticipated fifth and final season. Contrary to rumours, most episodes won’t be feature-length, though they remain longer than the average pre-Season 4 instalment.
The confirmed runtimes for the first four episodes of Volume 1 are:
• Episode 1: 1 hour, 8 minutes
• Episode 2: 54 minutes
• Episode 3: 1 hour, 6 minutes
• Episode 4: 1 hour, 23 minutes
The finale is expected to be lengthy, akin to the extended runtimes seen in Season 4. The final season will be released in three parts, strategically scheduled around the end-of-year holidays in 2026: Volume 1 drops on Thanksgiving Day (November 26), Volume 2 follows on Christmas Day (December 25), and the single-episode series finale, “The Right side Up,” will arrive on New Year’s Eve (December 31). Despite the online critiques, anticipation remains exceptionally high as fans prepare for Eleven and the Hawkins gang’s final battle against the Upside Down.